The annual RoboGames has kicked off once again in Pleasanton, CA. Lasting from the 27th to the 29th, RoboGames features a wide range of robotic contests and is probably the world's largest and most competitive live robot combat event. Eight different weight classes from 150 grams upwards, including junior 1lb and autonomous 3lb classes, right the way up to the fan favourite 220lb heavyweights.

This year's entry list promises to be very international,with Brazilian, British, Canadian, Mexican and even Jordanian entries. A lot of teams and machines are also debuting and a high number of pull-outs thanks to all the shows going at the moment means a very unique roster, so we can expect some surprises and upsets!

Bots which back out will be replaced from the waitlist, which also includes a fair number of interesting machines. Registration has ended. There are still spots in the main rosters but these should be filled by entrants on the waitlists.

Following on from last year's success, the whole event will be streamed live from the official RoboGames Twitch channel (where you can still watch the recorded streams from last year).

There's plenty of information on the official registration page (you must be a member to view but it's free to sign up) and on the RoboGames Wiki.

60lb Lightweight

• 1st and 2nd Place (USA) - Clusterbot, with an egg beater (like a tiny Bigly) and another vertical spinner. Only fought at RoboGames 2016, going 1/1. 1st and 2nd Place vs K2 at RG 2016

• Aquiles (BRA) - A wide, two-wheel-drive drum with a mixed record, recorded in BotRank as 5/6. Aquiles vs Rocket at RG 2017

• Asterion (BRA) - Compact drum from Brazil's Team Trincabotz, a machine which has seen some success in Brazil, though less in RoboGames. This will be the machine's second run in the US. Asterion vs Herr Gepounden at RG 2017

• Bigly (USA) - A compact and impressive egg beater which went 2/2 last year. Bigly vs Aquiles at RG 2017

• Cornholio (USA) - From Team Artifist, Cornholio is a full body spinner. They've had to withdraw from the last few competitions so hopefully this year will see this robot return to combat for the fourth time since 2008. Cornholio vs Awesome-O at RG 2011

• Dark Ripper (USA) - From Team Dark Forces, legends in the American insectweights. The name comes from a robot from 2005 but this creation is actually a giant version of Dark Pounder, the team's silver medalist antweight. Image

• Defib (USA) - Vertical drum spinner inspired by the team's heavyweight Cat King, with a slightly more terifying paint job. Image

• AVD (USA) - Vertical disc. A new machine which will debut this year, from Team Think Tank of VDD and Double Rainbow Party. CAD Image

• Rocket (USA) - A tall flipper. Rocket recently came out of a nearly 10-year retirement, competing in RoboGames in 2007 and '08, then returning last year. Rocket vs V For Victory at RG 2017

• Shimakaze (CHN) - Four-wheel-drive wedge, possibly a front-hinge lifter. CAD

• Tastes Like Burning (USA) - Returning to compete a third time, Tastes Like Burning is a clone of Team Mutant Robots' Pro-Pain and pairs a combinatioin lifter/clamp with a flamethrower. It had a disappointing 1/2 run last year after finishing second in 2016. Tastes Like Burning vs Mrs Plow at RG 2017

• Troublemaker (USA) - An overhead spinning bar with flails. This is an old machine, first fighting in 2001. THis will be thier second RoboGames, having competed in 2016 and gone 1/2. Troublemaker vs Jakebot at RG 2016, Image

• Tsunami Light (USA) - Wide drum bot based on the team's championship-winning antweight Tsunami. CAD

• V For Victory (USA) - Horizontal undercutter bar spinner, not V-shaped and very patriotic. V for Victory vs Bigly at RG 2017

• War Pig (USA) - Low four-wheel-drive drum spinner. This will be the bot's second competition, after a 0/2 run last year. War Pig vs Herr Gepounden at RG 2017 Image

• Wurst Nightmare (USA) - A low, four-wheel drive machine with a drum, similar to UnMakerBot. This is Team Food Fight's first time competing outside the insectweights. CAD

Unknown/little information: Deep 6, Wedgie, Cassowari, Robozao (BRA)

Waitlist includes: Wanna Go? (USA), CatZilla (USA), Argus (BRA), Son of Spam (USA), Federal M.T (BRA), Mrs Plow (USA), The Surgeon (USA)

120lb Middleweight

• Clean Sweeper (USA) - Awesome 'brushbot' with twin vertical spinning bars, back for their second 'games. Moves by the small vibrations from its spinning weapons. Clean Sweeper vs Doom on You! at RoboGames 2017

• General (BRA) - Compact drum. A hit and miss record: defending champions and previous finalists but have also gone without a win, including at the FMB finals this year. General vs Touro at RG 2017

• Gompei (USA) - Big one-toothed drum/bar on a two-wheel-drive bot. A new machine and appears to be the team's first foray above featherweights. CAD

• Houston (USA) - Toro-esque flipper. A highschool-built machine. The bot's second run but the team's third RoboGames, having competed with lightweight Hazmat in 2016. Houston vs MANDiii at RoboGames 2017

• Iron Strike (UK) - From the same team as Robot Wars' High-5. A gorgeous-looking vertical disc with big but exposed wheels. Picture

• NIGHTHAWK (USA) - Ventimiglia and Team Demolition bring their middleweight wedge back. NIGHTHAWK relied on low wedges and good driving to finish second last year. NIGHTHAWK vs General at RG 2017

• Hyper Railgun S (CHN) - Fat wheels sit either side of a vertical drum/disc. Looks lke it'll be compact and with a heavy weapon. An improved version of their asymmetric vertical bar spinner.. This bot is backed by FMB and started out life half-way through last year as a drum. CAD, Image

• Uppercut (USA) - Boxy bot with a compact drum/disc from the same team as Wrath. Image

• Wolverine (USA) - A regular to RoboGames, having competed in some form at least as far back as 2009 and nearly every year since. Horizontal spinning bar, lightly armoured. The team have also competed in heavyweights with wedges Kick Me, Sabretooth and Puck. Wolverine vs General at RG 2016

• Wrath (USA) - Horizontal spinning bar. Brand new robot from a team have competed with various middleweights including T-800, Heavy Metal and Black Mamba. Picture

Unknown/little information: Four of a Kind (JOR)

Waitlist includes: Mandiii (USA), Doom on You (USA), Who's Your Daddy Now? (USA), Budget Bot (USA), CatKong (USA), Atilla Jr. (USA), Touro (BRA), KANGEYAN (IND), Bhuvi (IND)

220lb Heavyweight

• Cataclysm (USA) - Vertical disc spinner from Team Bad Kitty, known for scary vertical disc spinners (CatKong, CatZilla, BattleBots' Bad Kitty). Four-wheel-drive and beefy motors. Appears to be the same machine (or similar) as Cat King from TiFB and War Hawk from BB. Picture

• Cluster Flock (USA) - Bots FC have pulled out with Doomba but are putting together a small army of bots to fight as a combined heavyweight including Boom Boom and bots from Team Bad Kitty and perhaps Team Food Fight. Expect madness from this one.

• Crash N Burn (CAN) - Clusterbot made up of two tough wedges. Verry well driven. Also has flamethrowers. Caused a few upsets last year, taking out Megabyte and Last Rites. Crash N Burn vs Last Rites at RG 2017

• Echo 2.0 (USA) - Two-wheel-drive drum bot. Semi-finalists at FMB this year. THis version debuted at RoboGames last year and came out with a good 3/2 run. Echo 2.0 vs Batmobile at FMB Finals 2018

• Foxic 3 (UK/USA) - A fan favourite for many, despite poor performances (usually put down to incessant bad luck). A strong drive and tough armour are put together with an overhead lifter and tail for clamp-lifting. Foxic has fought at RoboGames twice, not including forfeits last year, and has yet to pick up a win in the US. Foxic vs Handsy vs Cyber Raptor at Extreme Robots Portsmouth 2017

• Gruff (USA) - Lifter, bit of a regular at RoboGames but this will be their first since 2015. Team from the University of South Florida, have also competed with middleweights Ziege and Cheese Wedge, as well as smaller weights. Gruff vs AG gressive at Maker Faire Orlando 2017

• HexaDecimator (USA) - A veteran machine, famous in the Comedy Central era of BattleBots. Weapon is a flipping arm. Hexy D returned from its long retirement last year but suffered ground clearance and traction issues. HexaDecimator vs Whoops! at RG 2017

• Khaos (USA) - Square four-wheeled bot with a small disc and wedgelets. Debuted last year as a successor to the somewhat more successful Lil Pip. Went 0/2 last year but upgrades may be in store, if this little model's anything to go by. Khaos vs Prometheus at RG 2017

• King Buxton (UK) - The King is here! Lifting spikes and a lot of push in this dogged machine. Sadly without a spinner-proof wedge but should be a joy to watch. Fully reuilt for the first time since 1998. King B vs Harpy at Mechatrons Robots of Destruction 2018

• Megalodon (CAN) - Four-wheel-drive wedge bot. Original Sin with a thicker, squarer jaw and sharper cheek bones. Megalodon vs Prometheus at RG 2017

• Nigel (USA) - Autonomous (yes, really) invertivble ring spinner built by students at the University of Akron. Image

• Original Sin (USA) - An introduction here is unnecessary. Four-wheel-drive wedge bot, virtually indestructible and driven by Gary Gin. Defending champion and most successful heavyweight, probably anywhere ever. Original Sin vs Whiplash at RG 2017

• Polar Vortex (USA) - Team Toad's big vertical spinning disc looked powerful last year and has had an upgrade. It now appears to share a chassis with BB entry Hypothermia. Polar Vortex vs Mega Melvin at RG 2017, Polar Vortex 2018 testing

• Raging Scotsman (USA) - Four-wheeled wedge bot with a flamethrower. And kilts. Ragin Scotsman vs Cavalier at RG 2017

• Sewer Snake (USA) - Trend-setting front-hinge rear-hinge lifter. One of the big three champion-winning heavyweights but had a poor 1/2 run last year. Been fighting in some form since before RoboGames was a thing. Sewer Snake vs Boris Badenov at RG 2017

• Shape-Shifter (USA) - Four-wheel-driver wedge from the team behind Dagger and Mouse. Some interchangeable element yet to be revealed, along with a good turn of pace. Testing video

• Swamp Thing (USA) - No Last Rites this year but Team Hardcore Robotics are bringing their tough flame-throwing wedge bot, with great driving skill and plenty of aggression. Swamp Thing vs Whiplash at RG 2017

• Touro Maximus (BRA) - Epitomy of a drumbot. The Touro line of bots is the one by which all others are judged. First non-American champions in the heavyweight class in 2015. Little brother of BattleBots' Minotaur. Touro Maximus vs Whoops! at RG 2017

• Lucky (USA) - Famous four-bar flipper, competitor on BattleBots. Solid and well-built. Successor to the great Ziggy, a superheavyweight partly blamed for the death of that class because it was so dominant, and Son of Ziggy Son of Ziggy vs Super Fluffy Pink Bunny at RG 2013, Ziggy vs Riddle Box at RG 2010

Waitlist includes: Black and White (USA), Vlad the Impaler II (USA), Logic Gator (USA), ChangqiPeng (CHN), Dictator (BRA), ALT-F4 (CAN), Chiyung Jinlun (CHN)